Connecticut western news., 1887-06-08

that.' He did not know her name, but promised to find out. am bound to get acquainted with her, and if she's all right--she has good blood, as her feet show-and she'll have me, by love, I'll mako her Mrs. Exton."
 There was something so comical in the idea of man choosing wife by her feet that I laughed outright, and so did he.
 Exton came in week after, and among other things I asked him if he had found tho young lady with the pretty feet. He nodded, looked grave aud at once began to talk about ~aew plants in the shop, one, fuschia, in par ticular.
 'It is new," said, ''but will not be for sale till next year. l am getting up a stock. If you admire that so much, you ought to look at the one have at my house. It is covered with bloom."
 'I should very much like to sec it," he said.
 AA0t AS C&hSy3 ICpiACus NAAS "t threo o'clecs on Sunday. If you will como then and take dinner with me I'll show you the fuschia and something finer--the handsomest baby in New York"
 "With pleasure" said Exton. ''The plant is attractive and tho baby--irre- sistiblc."
 Exton came according to invitation. After dinner, and ho had sufficiently ex- amined and admired tho fuschia, Betty brought in the baby. Exton's praise of the child quite won my wlfe's heart. It was pronounced to be prodigy. and Exton snapped his fingers at it, and chooky- caoocd for it in way that would have dono credit to an experienced family man; and he wound up by giving the nurscmaid some alvice about it management, which, to make it more lm- pressivo, as he said, he expressed in Ger man, which ho spoke fuently.
 Exton came to sec us again, on some pretcxt and acquired tn, habit of com ing frequently. He never seemed to have enough of that baby Y; and as when ever he came it had to be brou ,ht in, and kept there, my wife got used to it and left him with the baby and it's nurscy while she began to build an air castle.
 ''You may depend on it, John," said she, "that the baby will profit by this. Mir. Exton is very fond of M.rmadukc, and as he has neither chick nor child and is not marrying man shouldn't be surprised if he left it a nic, penny"
 smiled, for I had no hopes of that kind. My wife often recurred to it, but suddenly dropped the subject and said no more about it.
 Oac day there came letter with a foreign postmark addressed to Betty. Shc translated its contents to Diy wife in confidence, and they had confab over it. Then there was deal of sew Ing going on. The sewing machine was kept busy, but it was always showed aside when camc in, with bushes from tho girl and giggling from my wife. supposed they were making something g for mo against my birthday, and kept very quiet, to let them have the satisfac- ton of surprising mo. But when my birthday had come and gone, and there was nothing said, was little puzzled.
 One day, later on--it was pleasant, sunny day in the Indian S ummer- was detained at homo till near ten o'clock. Betty had gone out to air the baby. went to the station of the e,e- vated road in tho next street, and whcr half way up the steps chanced to look down tho cross street. There l saw Betty wheeling Marmaduke's carriage on the sidewalk, and alongside of hel walked Mir. Exton, who was talking te her earnestly. A policeman, a new ont oa the beat, caught my cy', and with , slight wink nodded his head toward tn, couple.
 "WclI," said U myself, drawing long breath, 'I am astonishcd, to say the least"
 That afternoon Exton lounged into my shop and I asked him into my back office, whence had previously cjccted the clerk.
 'M-. Exton," said, II have always had great respect for you, but"
 "Butr' he interrupted. "Docs tha mean that have lost your rcspect2"
 .'"Not quite" replied, "Dut I WIS sorry to sec you to-day filling our little Betty's head with foolish notions. She is good girl, even if shc be nothing but nursemaid-''
 Hero he interrupted me again.
 q beg your pardon, Judkins; but sh is something more than a nursemaid She is a'gcntlewoman, every inch, and her filling the position she docs, undc the circumstances, is no discredit t' her."
 'I don't say that it is; but as you d. not intend to marry her"
 "But do intend to marry her." h again interrupted, 'tand ill three weeks time. As she has no relatives here, tn German consul has been good enough at my request, to represent them a he wedding, and with their full con sent"
 , Imerely stared at him. 'I probably owe you an cxplan ation, he said. Don't you rem embcr toll you intended to find tho owner 0 | those little shoes anl if I could win he